Evacuation of Gaza settlements 'complete'

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The Israeli and Palestinian leaders spoke by phone today to
express a mutual commitment to peace following Israel's pullout
from the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office said Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas placed the call to the Sharon to
congratulate him on "a brave and historic decision'' to dismantle
the 21 Jewish settlements in Gaza and to withdraw the army after 38
years of occupation.

Abbas said he hoped the pullout "will open a new page between
the two nations,'' and stressed the need for cooperation in
peacemaking, said the statement from Sharon's office.

Sharon and Abbas spoke for about five minutes - their first
conversation since meeting in Jerusalem on June 21, said
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat.

Erekat said Abbas told Sharon, "we are your partners for
peace.''

He added that he appreciated that Palestinian and Israeli security
forces were cooperating during the withdrawal.

Erekat said Sharon also told the Palestinian leader that he was
committed to peace.

Earlier, Israel announced that it had completed the
evacuation of Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip.

"Except for two families now in (the settlement of) Netzarim,
and who will be evacuated imminently, we have today completed the
evacuation of the Israeli (settler) presence in the Gaza Strip,"
Major-General Dan Harel told reporters.

At the news conference in Netzarim, Harel declared the "first
stage of the disengagement plan", the removal of settlers from the
occupied Gaza Strip, "complete".

In the second phase of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to
disengage from conflict with the Palestinians, Israeli security
forces will begin to remove settlers from two West Bank enclaves
tomorrow.

Mahmoud Abbas told Ariel Sharon, "we are your partners for peace"

Israel finished the evacuation of all 21 Gaza settlements some
two weeks ahead of schedule.